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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. field — for sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kick — in football
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. field — farmland
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — a subject
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com